Goggles



April 27, 1943. J, w, wELgH 2,317,658

GOGGLES Filed Feb. 27, 1941 IN V ENT OR.

A T TORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 27, 1943 GOGGLES James W. Welsh, Providence, R. I., assignor to Welsh Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Application February 27, 1941, Serial No. 380,835

3 Claims.

This invention relates to goggles, more particularly to that type one uses when swimming.

In the use of goggles when swimming, the difference in the temperature of the water outside the window and the temperature of the air on the side of the window toward the eyes so chills the window that condensation of the moisture in the air occurs on the window within the air chamber, making use of the goggles diflicult when swimming. To overcome this condition, a flange has been provided to retain some water in the eye chamber so that by rocking ones head, the water may be flowed across the lens for clearing the condensation or fogginess which accumulates on the lens. This is a rather undesirable means of clearing the lens.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a means for preventing fogginess on the lens without the use of a liquid in the eye chamber.

Another object of the invention is to prevent the cold of the outside water from coming into contact with the window which is in direct contact with the heated air.

With these and other objects in view, the invene tion consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation;

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

This invention consists in providing a pair of windows spaced apart a, suflicient distance so that the cooling of the outer window will not be transmitted to the inner window through the chamber between the windows and thus the inner window is kept sufiiciently warm so as to prevent moisture condensation. In carrying out this invention, I space the windows a maximum distance apart so as to secure good heat insulation.

With reference more particularly to the drawing, l designates the body portion of the goggles, preferably formed of some moldable, elastic material such as rubber or Duprene with reduced portions II at the ends having a suitably attached strap (not shown) encircling the head and removably attached thereto such, for instance, as by means of snap fasteners, one member of which is designated l2, at each of the reduced ends I I of the body.

At suitable locations in the body, which will be opposite the eyes of the wearer, the molded material extends outwardly to provide a pair of window-holding tubular portions [4 which are opposite each of the eyes and in open communication therewith. At the outer edge of each of the portions 14, the material extends inwardly as at l5, providing a flange and a groove "5 extending annularly about the tubular portion' l4 and opening inwardly. The groove I6 is of a dimension slightly less than the thickness of the window I! which is inserted therein, and thus, when this window, which is removable, is inserted into the groove I6 to be embraced by the elastic material, it stretches the elastic material slightly so as to be firmly held in position in this groove.

At a location inwardly from this outer groove I6, I have provided ribs l8 and [9 in spaced relation to provide a groove 20 which is also of'slightly smaller dimension than the window 2| which is to be inserted therein so that when this window 2| is inserted in the groove to be embraced by the elastic material, it is firmly bound at its edges by the elastic material to be securely held in position.

I place the groove 20 for holding the window 2| at a location so that it will just clear the eyebrows which will be accommodated in the space 22 at the inner edge of each of the portions so as to provide as large a chamber 23 as practical for providing the insulating air space between the windows, thus spacing the windows I! and 2| a maximum distance apart so that the warm air in the chamber 22 cannot be readily cooled by the Water which contacts with the window I! as the window is spaced a considerable distance therefrom and cooling due to transmission of cold through the chamber 23 is thus retarded.

The tubular members l4 have the wall on the side distant from the nasal edges of a greater extent than the wall nearer the nasal edges so that the windows ll may be placed at right angles to the line of vision to diminish distortion from refraction and while in some instances I might place the windows 2| parallel to the windows I1, I find that by placing the windows 2| at an angle to the windows I1, I increase the chamber 23 Without the necessity of further building outwardly the tubular portion l4 and thus, by this angular relation of the two windows greater insulation by the increased chamber is provided to prevent fogging of the windows due to difierence of temperatures on the distal sides of the two windows.

By this arrangement above set forth, a goggle is provided which will not fog in the normal use to which it is put as the space of the lenses is such as to prevent transmission of the cold during the time that the same is in use.

I claim: 1. In goggles, a flexible rubber body portion for engaging the face about the eyes, a pair of spaced, tubular, window-holding portions on said body with the axes thereof converging inwardly towards each other when the goggles are properly fitted to the face of the wearer aboutthe eyes forming chambers adapted to beplaced in open communication'with the eyes, and a transparent sight window carried by each of said windowholding portions, each window having an integral outwardly-facing portion the surface of which in use is arranged to be in alignment with that of the other in a direction longitudinally of the goggles on a plane extending transversely across the front of the face and disposed at right angles to the normal line of sight of the eyes when the goggles are in position on the face of the wearer about the eyes, and a second window in each tubular portion located inwardly in spaced relation to the outer window, andwith theii'nner window in each positioned at an angle to the outer Window therein in a manner so as to approach each other towards the nasal portion of the goggles.

2. In goggles, a flexible rubber body portion for engaging the face about the-eyes, a pair of spaced, tubular, window-holding portions on said body forming chambers adapted to be placed in open communication with the eyes, a transparentsight window carried by each of said window-holding portions, each window having an integral outwardly-facing portion the surface of which in use is arranged to be in aligmnent with that of the other in a direction longitudinally of the goggles on a plane extending transversely across the front of the face and disposed at right angles to the normal line of sight of the eyes when the goggles are properly fitted to the face of the wearer about the eyes, and a second window in each tubular portion at an angle to the first said window and approaching each other at the nasal side of the windows, said windows being spaced from each other a distance to provide a chamber of considerable volume between said windows.

3. In goggles, a flexible body portion for engaging the :face about the eyes, a pair of spaced, tubular, window-holding portions extending outwardly from thebody forming chambers adapted to be placed in open communication with the eyes, and a pair of spaced transparent sight windows in each tubular portion, positioned at an angle to each other and with the plane of the surfaces of the windows approaching :each other at the nasal side of the lens, said windows being spaced-suffi'ciently tomim'mize moisture condensa'tion during normal use and one of each pair of said windows when in use being in a plane at right angles to the normal line of sight of the eyes when the goggles are positioned on the face of the wearer.

JAMES W. WELSH. 

